The reference to any prior art in this specification is not, and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that the prior art forms part of the common general knowledge.
Medevac field stretchers commonly known as NATO type stretchers are designed in accordance with NATO and other military standards and are used in the evacuation of military or other casualties (e.g. during a natural disaster) to hospital in a helicopter or aeroplane. A NATO type military field stretcher includes a pair of rails terminating in handles, and a carrier sheet (normally canvass) extending between the rails to carry a patient. In practice, loaded NATO type stretchers are rested on fixed racking in aircraft during air transportation.
However, the applicant has perceived that NATO type stretchers are less than ideal. Whilst improved stretchers are available to improve the comfort and security of a transported patient, the use of standard aircraft restraints and racking systems to suit the NATO type stretcher has impeded the use of such improved stretchers in medevac operations. This issue is particularly significant when considering the widespread adoption of these restraints and racking systems throughout the full suite of military transportation assets, on land, at sea and in aviation.
The applicant also recognizes the deficiencies of the present NATO type stretchers in use, including but not limited to the following deficiencies. The NATO type stretcher exhibits:                a. inability to properly and readily inspect damage to the stretcher (due to its cover materials encasing the side rails)—to ensure that there has been no impact damage, or fatigue or stress induced potential structural failure points;        b. inability to properly restrain the stretchered patient by the use of modern standard patient multi-point restraint belts so that the patient is restrained by suitable means to withstand rapid and major motion events (such as evasive maneuvers or major turbulence) and/or crash events—to improve patient survivability in all threat environments;        c. inability for the stretchered patient to be seated or placed in a variable upright position to provide optimum patient care;        d. inability to clean and ensure that any biological contamination on the stretcher has been eradicated—due to its materials of construction; and        e. inability to readily provide ballistic protection to the stretchered patient other than by the patient wearing suitable ballistic protective clothing, which significantly interferes with the provision of optimum patient care.        
Embodiments of the present invention provide for improved stretchers and associated devices in medevac operations.